


Paging Dr. Spots

by orphan_account



Category: Long Exposure (Webcomic)
Genre: Doctor AU, Gen, M/M, Other, after graduation, and yes MitJo will happen, hospital au, i am not sorry this is going to be fun, i watched too much grey's anatomy recently, mitjo - Freeform, non established relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-10 02:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12902409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's just been one of those days. Really, more like one of those weeks.





	1. Room 2287

**Author's Note:**

> I've been re-watching Grey's Anatomy from the beginning again because I missed everything about it. You're welcome.
> 
> Don't know how long this will be, but I'm suspecting three parts, if not four. I just really really wanted to have some fun with this.  
> * * * * *  
> Today's write-up song: "Stamp On the Ground" by ItaloBrothers
> 
> Enjoy and happy reading! ♥

Today was just one of those days.

And it was one of those days where Jonas Wagner considered a career change and wondered just how in the living hell he’d wound up becoming and Emergency Room doctor. He was bad with people, to start with. Not that Jonas was necessarily mean or rude or anything like that , but he was just . . . shy sometimes and the worst liar ever. Not to mention the fact this was only his first year as an intern. So on top of doing mountains of paperwork, running blood vials to labs left and right, he also had to be the bearer of bad news, stitch back barely hanging on flesh, reset bones, and just about everything else that walked into the emergency department that you could think of.

Yeah. Being literally anything else but a doctor would have been easier. 

Yet, his shift began at seven in the morning and he was already running upstairs, downstairs, and signing off on discharges (which should have been his twin sister’s job) and going to whatever rooms assigned to him. Jonas had already stitched up some college girl’s hand who wouldn’t stay off her phone, did x-rays on a baby with a twisted ankle, and cleaned up a puddle of someone’s stomach contents in the hallway.

Yep. Today was just one of those days. And if Jonas had known that it was about to get more complicated, he would have handed this whole thing over and pursued a better career.

Maybe.

“Hey,” the familiar voice of his sister coming around the corner broke through Jonas’ thoughts. Sidney was handing him a hot cup of coffee, her hair tied up in what was probably the most rushed ponytail Jonas had ever seen. She picked dark green scrubs to wear today, and that’s when Jonas kicked himself mentally for not bringing in his extra pair of blue ones. This morning he’d been in such a rush, he opted for just wearing his usual dark orange.

“Hi,” he answered tiredly while grabbing the coffee from his sister’s hand. He barely glanced her way before taking a sip and closing a chart he’d just finished, handing it off to the nurse beside him.

“Rough day already huh?” Sid sat down beside him, on top of the desk of course, and crossed her arms.

“You could say that,” Jonas sighed before rubbing his hands over his face. “Do you ever think we should have done something else? And I don’t know, left Sellwood maybe?”

“Probably,” Sidney shrugged. “But this was sort of the best deal we had for now until we could actually, ya know. Leave.”

“True, but,” Jonas sighed again before taking another drink of his coffee. “I guess I just figured after graduating and moving out of Dean and Sue’s that I’d just have more? And maybe a job I actually liked? And not seeing the faces of everyone I either don’t like, aren’t friends with anymore, or bullied me.”

“Then you’re not going to like what I’m about to give you,” Sidney winced, handing her brother a new chart. “You uh, remember Mitch?”

“Mueller?” Jonas raised his eyebrow, grabbing the chart from her hands and looking at the papers inside.”

“Yeeeeep, the one and only,” Sidney got back to her feet. “He’s in Room 2287. His hand looks fucking nasty, so have fun with it.”

Jonas choked, then bolted up with coffee and chart in hand. “Wait! Sid! Why do I have to get him?”

“Because he’s been dumb fucking love struck with you since school? I know he was a jerk pain in the ass, but he really did like you,” Sidney tossed her hands up. “You were just too scared of Dean and oblivious to jump on it after graduation. And I even can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“First of all, anyone would be afraid of Dean and they were. Second of all, you don’t know if he’ll even remember me, let alone want to see me,” Jonas pouted, keeping up pace with his sister. “What do you have to go do anyway?”

Sidney smirked. “I’m spotting in on a surgery today. It’s nothing huge but hey. It beats changing bedpans and sewing stupid, careless people up right?”

“I, but,” Jonas tried to find words, but the moment Sidney smirked and patted his head, she walked off leaving him unable to come up with any other ultimatum. “You owe me, Sid!”

“Yeah, yeah sure!” Sidney walked off with the wave of her hand, and Jonas was left stuck in the middle of the hallway staring down anxiously at the chart in his hand.

Fucking Mitch Mueller.

*                               *                               *

 

Jonas was shaking. He’d been standing outside of Room 2287, staring at its number on the wall beside the door for what seemed like an hour but was really only ten minutes. He was wasting time.

He had read through the papers a hundred times. Just to make sure that Sid wasn’t pulling a fast one on him. But every time he looked, it was the same.

_ Mitchell N. Mueller _

_ 22yr, M _

_ Lacerations to the left hand, broken index finger, broken thumb, sprained wrist. _

What the fuck had he been doing to get that many injuries to a single body part? On top of that, whoever wrote this up didn’t specify how bad the lacerations were. If Mitch needed stitches, an x-ray or whatever else, then Jonas needed to suck it up and just go inside.

Only. He hadn't seen Mitch since graduation day. What if Mitch hated him? What if he was mad that they never really jumped on their feelings? Wait. What feelings? 

Shit.

Taking in a deep breath and downing the rest of his coffee, Jonas turned the door handle with eyes squeezed tight and opened the door. This was it. He was going inside whether he liked it or not. The worst part about this was he had to try and be professional. 

Try.

“Hi Mr. Mueller, I’m-”

“Ho-LY FUCK,” Mitch’s voice broke through Jonas’ sentence like a bullet shattering glass. A shit-eating grin plastered his face. He was sitting up in bed with the wounded hand wrapped in a towel and ice. Same ratty, ripped up jeans. Same beat up disgusting orange converses. Same stupid, crude t-shirts. Mitch was there in front of Jonas still just the same as ever. Only his hair was a little darker, more of his natural color and had less of an undercut. And prominent, dark brown sideburns coming in. God. It had only been a few years since graduation and medical school. How could someone change so much and yet still look the same?

Jonas felt his heart flutter more than once.

“Spots?! _The_ Spots?! _The_ fuckin’ Joey Wagnerd? Fuckin’ shit is that really you?” Mitch grinned wider if that was possible, his eyes gleaming in a way that Jonas wasn’t entirely sure if he should count as flattering or terrifying. 

“Uh,” Jonas choked, clutching the chart in hand. Sidney owed him so much right now. “Actually it’s . . . Doctor Wagner while we’re here and I’m going to have to take a look at your hand.”

Mitch laughed, his nose wrinkling up and those stupid big teeth gleaming under the hospital lights. The laugh was even the same if not a touch deeper. That cackling ugly yet attractive laugh that would make spines jump out of any sane body. “A’right, whatever ya say.  _ Doctor Spots _ .”

God that was enough to make Jonas shiver. No. He had to be professional. He was on the clock right now. Not at school, not outside of the hospital. He couldn’t let his stupid boyish crush get to him right now.

But Mitch was eyeing him up and down like he was the last piece of pizza someone else would surely grab. It didn’t help that Jonas knew that the scrubs hugged his every curve. They were always so snug, even if he bought them a size up. And right now, he could feel Mitch’s eyes examining  _ him. _ The blush forming across his cheeks and nose as he made his way over to the bedside table wasn’t going away anytime soon. And matters only became worse once Jonas realized that the angle he was standing in gave Mitch a front row seat to his butt. 

“How did you hurt your hand?” Was his voice shaking? Jonas couldn’t tell the sound of his own voice over the blood pumping in his ears. He took out a pen from his scrub top pocket and flipped open to a blank page in Mitch’s chart to write down his findings and what needed to be done then.

“Didja get ta move out?” Mitch scooted closer towards Jonas, at the foot of the bed now. “Bet that piece’a shit didn’t see it comin’.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” Jonas huffed, daring to turn his head and look at Mitch. Only, he was right there. Standing up now, next to him and it was so close that Jonas swore he could recollect all of Mitch’s usual smells. Cigarettes, beers, a little bit of weed, and . . . oil? Exhaust fumes? “Where do you work?”

“Auto body shop,” Mitch answered smugly. “Tha’only and best one in this shitfucked town. I’m their best worker an’all. Got a real thing for . . .” He eyed Jonas again, eyes settling on the smooth roundness of his tummy. “Cars an’stuff.”

Jonas could feel his ears getting warmer the more Mitch stared at him like candy. “I’m going to have to ask you to sit back down so I can look at your hand.”

“Ooohhh,” Mitch smirked. “I love a guy who can boss me around. Didn’t know ya had that in ya, Spots.”

“Please,” Jonas begged with a sigh. “I’m just trying to do my job here.”

Mitch held up his good hand in defense and walked back to the bed. “As you command, Doctor Joey.”

“It’s Doctor Wagner, actually,” Jonas sighed again, pulling on some gloves.

“Nah,” Mitch sat down, adjusting his hurt hand on his lap. “Ya sound too old for that. Yer Joey. Yer Spots.”

Jonas rolled his eyes, grabbing the rolling stool from the corner of the room and sat down in front of Mitch, carefully unwrapping his hand. “So you’re going to have to tell me how you managed to do this.”

“Workin’ on an engine in this yellow VW Beetle. Turned away fer a second to grab my wrench and the hood got knocked loose,” Mitch explained. “Slammed right on my fuckin’ hand. Was able ta pull it back up before it chopped off any fingers. Woulda just fixed it myself an’been fine but my boss made me come.” He paused for a moment and laughed a little. “Like I said. I’m th’best mechanic they got there.”

Jonas nodded, taking in the damage of Mitch’s hand. If he wasn’t totally mangled, this would have counted as an intimate experience. Seeing as how delicately Jonas was handling Mitch’s hand and how close they were. “You’re going to need stitches, that much I can tell you.”

“Sick,” Mitch grinned. “Do I get ta watch?”

“I mean if you really want to,” Jonas huffed. “You’re also going to need your finger splinted, a brace for your wrist and I need to set your thumb back into place before I splint that one, too.” He paused to look up at Mitch, their eyes meeting. “And it’s not going to be pretty or feel nice.”

“Psche,” Mitch shrugged. “Nothin’ can be worse than the hood of a Beetle slammin’ on your hand.”

“Wait,” Jonas perked up and squinted his eyes. “You said a yellow VW Beetle?”

“Yeh, why?” Mitch frowned. “S’not like it has anythin’ to do with my hand gettin’ fixed.”

“What’s the licence plate on it?” Jonas reached over for Mitch’s chart and his pen, getting to work on writing what he needed to do.

“Ahhh, somethin’ like  _ NRDWT-942.  _ Yeh, that’s it.”

Jonas felt his heart stop for a second, then skip a beat mid-writing. Biting his lip, he looked up towards Mitch and blushed yet again. “That, uh. That’s . . . that’s my car.”

Mitch blinked, the room was silent for a moment and Jonas half expected for Mitch to be mad about the whole situation. But instead he laughed. 

“Well fuck. Looks like there was a reason fer me comin’ in after all then,” Mitch smirked widely, casting his eyes once again over Jonas’ face like he was about to take him right then and there. Jonas felt his spine shiver again. 

This was going to be a long day.


	2. Don't Do This To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December is one of the worst months for hospitals. December second is one of the worst days for Mitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll so I'm going to keep going. And yeah, I did the thing. Since it was Freddie's birthday yesterday and all. I figured it was a good basis to go off. Don't worry, this is the only 'bad' chapter xP  
> * * * *  
> This chapter's write-up song: "Die Anywhere Else" (from Night In the Woods) by DM DOKURO
> 
> Enjoy and happy reading! ♥

December . . .  it was finally December. Which meant that it was almost the end of the year. Which for Jonas, meant he would have completed his entire first year as an intern. From there, he didn’t know what to do. He could continue on with this job until he could figure out a way for him and Sidney to move. But the thought alone of another year was exhausting.

Still, the end of the year looked promising. And Christmas wasn’t that far away, so Jonas had another thing to look forward to at least.

It had been a full month since Jonas last saw Mitch back in the emergency room. Any other time they crossed paths was either whenever Jonas was on his lunch break (Mitch was notorious lately for sitting outside the hospital waiting), casually in passing in a random store, or literally just about anywhere else. Seeing as how Jonas’ car was still in the shop for more problems he wasn’t sure how to afford, they saw each other a lot more often now. Not that Jonas was complaining or anything. It was better than seeing Mitch in the hospital, eyeing him up and down like candy while trying to get patched up.

They were on odd terms, though not entirely unfriendly. It was just like in high school, it seemed. Mitch was chasing and flirting, Jonas was trying to keep his head on straight and power through his job and focus. But it was hard when Mitch kept complimenting him, cracking jokes, and looking at him like he was something special. Save for the lingering touches and almost kisses. Jonas couldn’t be distracted right now, and yet . . . Mitch looked more than promising. More than a simple distraction. Mitch looked like home. Mitch looked like his way out.

But December was here and December always seemed like such a good time to make things right. Unfortunately, that meant holidays and holidays meant a rush of people coming into the hospital throughout the whole month. Hospitals were one of the busiest places around this time. Jonas wasn’t looking forward to his twelve plus hour long shifts for the month.

And unfortunately for him, he’d been planted on a twenty-four hour shift on December 2nd. There had been a flu going around that left many nurses and interns out for the last few days, particularly on the emergency room floor. He and Sid had to pick up the slack and gain extra hours. Their resident had been just as exhausted by the thought as anyone else who got notified. Jonas made sure to do his best as to not give her any further trouble or hassle than needed.

It seemed like Jonas had just found a comfortable place to doze off for a few moments when someone decided to think otherwise.

“ _Wake up_!” Sidney shouted against her brother’s ear.

Jonas bolted up from the gurney he was resting on, eyes bleary and blinking. “Wh-what? Whass’it….what time is it?”

“It’s two in the morning,” Sidney responded while taking over her brother’s spot. She sat down, gnawing on her nail for a minute. “Just got a call in from the bay. You should go.”

“Hhhggn, I was just about to fall asleep, Sidney. Why couldn’t you have taken it?” Jonas rubbed his eyes and stretched with annoyance.

“Because,” Sidney’s voice faltered and it made Jonas turn to look at her.

“What, Sid? What is it?”

“You should go,” Sidney’s eyes cast back down towards her feet. “You’re going to want to take this one.”

Jonas felt his heart sink. There would be only one reason Sidney would say something like that to him. That’s when he felt his feet his the ground running. Feet pounding, heart throbbing in his chest, blood pulsing in his ears. Past everyone in halls, flying down stairs, pushing people out of his way. All the way to the emergency room. The sirens in the distance were deafening enough but the reality of the situation he was coming face to face with was so much worse.

That’s when Jonas felt his entire body tense up and freeze. That’s when he saw the all too familiar boney, white, lanky bloodied hand hanging off the gurney as paramedics rushed by him and into a room.

_Mitch_.

Blinking for a moment, Jonas snapped himself out of his initial shock and bolted into the room they’d taken him. There were already nurses and emts scrambling about Mitch, hurriedly transporting him onto the bed then rushing past him to get their next call. Now it was just him and the nurses. All of which were yelling at each other and at him for instruction. All Jonas could hear was the blood in his ears. All his eyes were focused on was Mitch.

Mitch who was laying half unconscious in front of him, banged up to hell. Blood and bruises and cuts were splayed out all over his long face and his arms. His knuckles looked more bashed than usual. Once a nurse was able to remove his shirt with some shears, Jonas’ eyes focused on the large cut smeared across his chest. From what he could tell, it had thankfully stopped bleeding.

_“Doctor Wagner!”_

Jonas blinked again, squeezing his eyes shut to get him back to reality. His heart was still pounding but he needed to think. Think and help. Think and act. “Ye-Yes, I auh, what . . . what happened?

‘Drunk’ and ‘crashed his car over the rail’ were the only things Jonas could hear. Then, for a brief second, he checked his watch and took in the time and date.

_12/02/17_ _  
_ _2:28am_

December the second. December second. That’s . . . Jonas sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face again.

“Uhhh okay, okay,” he mumbled mostly to himself, pulling on gloves in a hurry and pushing himself through the throng of nurses and one other intern he couldn’t remember the name of.

Jonas combed his eyes over the monitors, allowing his memory to take over. Mitch’s heart rate was stable, but not great. His blood pressure was low which could be attributed to the drinking, he was partly conscious, but not moving or talking. There didn’t look to be any contusions or signs of internal bleeding, so that was a relief of itself. Everything seemed to be an outward injury, which Jonas knew he could repair easily.

He just needed Mitch to come out of his haze first.

“Mitch? Mitch, can you hear me?” Jonas panicked for a split second, before putting his fingers in between Mitch’s hands. “Mitch squeeze my fingers if you can hear me, okay? Please?”

It had been weak, but there was a squeeze. “Okay . . . okay good. He’s becoming a little more responsive. We uh . . . we need to give him some I.V. fluids and get a CT scan just to make sure nothing’s broken or bleeding internally. I don’t want to give him anything else until we know for sure and he’s a little more sober.” He paused for a moment and looked at the other intern. “Does anyone know how much he drank? Or estimated?”

“We weren’t able to get a breathalyzer on him, he was too bad when they got there,” a nurse piped up behind him. “It’s hard to say.”

Jonas sighed dejectedly and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “Dammit, Mitch. Okay. Let’s start getting him a little more comfortable and then into a scan. I can’t give out any more orders until I talk with my resident and we get results. Do blood work if you can. That should tell us his alcohol content.”

Another pause came from Jonas before he felt his stomach turn. He had to leave. Pulling off his gloves and tossing them into the trash, Jonas gently pulled the other intern aside, eyes hard drilling into the other’s. “Page me. As soon as you get everything and anything. Okay?”

Jonas didn’t even wait for a nod before he ran out of the room, down the hall, past Sidney sleeping on the gurney in the hallway, and out the doors. The cold winter air hit him hard and fast and before Jonas knew it, he was leaning over the nearest trash can, emptying his stomach loudly.

Goddammit Mitch.

God-fucking-dammit.

*                                    *                                   *

Nervous. That was the only feeling coursing through Jonas’ veins right now. Nervousness and exhaustion. 

Mitch had been moved to a regular room only minutes after the test results had come through. Somehow there we no breaks and no internal injuries. He was drunk enough to should have not been driving, but not so much that the accident was neither caused by his drinking or not. Still, he’d get a ticket anyway, and somehow made it within an inch of his life.

Somehow, Mitch got lucky with what he had.

Jonas hadn’t left the room since they transported him. He was pretty sure that he’d dozed off a few times in the chair he was sitting in. Sidney came in once or twice to bring him coffee and food. His resident was too tired to chase his ass around, so he was getting away with just sitting here.

Besides, Mitch was his patient.

It seemed like Jonas checked his watch every five minutes. While Mitch was stable and patched up, he still suffered extensive injuries and needed to be watched. He could still go into shock, he could still have a seizure. If Jonas learned anything from school and his almost full year working at the hospital, it was that  _ anything  _ could and would happen.

It was almost four in the morning when Mitch finally stirred and made some semblance of a noise. Jonas had just nodded off twenty minutes ago and was still asleep in the chair with his head leaning on his hand. And that’s when Sidney walked in to do a check on Mitch. 

“Wow you’re finally awake,” Sidney commented, bracing her hands on the bed rail and learning over. “How ya feeling, Mueller?”

“L’ke f’ck,” Mitch mumbled raspily. He lifted up his I.V. hand and rubbed his forehead tenderly. 

“Not surprised,” Sidney grabbed Mitch’s chart off the bed and looked through it before taking out her pen and writing down his new stats. “Do you remember anything?”

“J’st lotta d’rnks,” Mitch groaned as he tried to move and shift. “Got in m’car. S’about it.”

“Don’t move too much you idiot,” Sidney sighed. “You crashed your car into a guardrail. You’re fucking lucky you got away with what you did.” Grabbing her pen light, she checked Mitch’s eyes but not too soon before he protested.

“G’tha outta m’fuckin’ face, Clone,” Mitch pushed her hand away and forced himself into a sitting position with a loud groan before plopping back down onto the pillows. “Fuckin’ hate h’spit’ls.”

Sidney huffed putting her pen light back into her pocket and crossed her arms. “Don’t let my brother hear you say that. He practically saved your damn life. He hasn’t left the room since they brought you in here.” She nodded towards the chair where Jonas was still shockingly sound asleep.

Mitch’s blurry gaze followed where Sidney was, making out Jonas’ form asleep in the chair beside his bed. “H’s been ‘ere?”

“Yep,” Sidney sighed, putting Mitch’s chart back. “Hasn’t left, refuses to leave. I’ve been bringing him coffee and food. I gotta go check on the other floor, so if you need anything just wake his ass up.”

Before Mitch could protest, Sidney was out the door. Reaching over what he could, Mitch brushed his fingers against Jonas’ knee. He was wearing a deep purple set of scrubs tonight. And fuck, he looked so cute and peaceful sleeping. He looked cute no matter what, but this was a sight Mitch was happy to wake up to.

“‘Ey . . . Joey,” Mitch tried to raise his voice the best he could, but everything hurt too much. “Spots . . .  ‘ey doctor Joey wake up.”

“Hngh?” Jonas startled awake, blinking furiously as he looked around and pulled his cheek away from his hand. There was a bright red spot from where his hand had been pressing against his cheek. “Mitch? You’re awake!”

Without a second thought, Jonas jumped to his feet, collecting Mitch’s hand into his own, leaning against the bed rail. “You’re awake. And you’re okay.”

“Yeah,” Mitch grinned tiredly, his beat up face seeming to have a touch of softness to it as he gazed at Jonas. “M’ere, Spots.”

“You scared me, you know,” Jonas kept hold of Mitch’s hand, fully aware now but not giving a care in the world. He wanted to know Mitch was okay and was going to stay that way. “Sidney came and got me. Told me I needed to get down to the bay and I was going to want to take this.”

“Was she right?” Mitch questioned with a squeeze of Jonas’ hand.

Jonas swallowed thickly, feeling hot tears form in his eyes. This wasn’t the time. This wasn’t the place. But he was so tired and fuck Mitch really had scared him. And on top of that, today. Today was the day. Today was a day that had blown past Jonas’ mind so many times over the last couple of years. And he could only wonder what Mitch had done.

“Yes,” he finally choked out, biting the bottom of his lip, looking away from Mitch. “I’m sorry. I don’t-”

“Nah,” Mitch rubbed his thumb across Jonas’ freckled hand. “D’nt b’sorry. Should b’me. W’s dum’and fucked up. Guess th’year hit me pretty hard.” He paused for a second, thinking. “Been doin’okay tha last few times. Guess wassa matter ‘ftime.”

Jonas took in a deep, hitched breath before looking back towards Mitch, his eyes glassy with tears. “I’m sorry, Mitch. I know how hard this day is for you.”

“Yeah, well,” Mitch gave a lop-sided trying smile, casting the softest look that Jonas ever seen. “It’s got it’s ups this year.”


	3. Try Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new year. Which means new chances for Jonas to take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this is going to have four parts! I'm so excited to be rounding this off soon, I've been having a lot of fun with this AU.
> 
> * * *  
> Today's write-up song: "Try Everything" by Shakira
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

It was a new year. A new year means new beginnings, new goals, new steps to take, new challenges to face. And Jonas knew that he was going to face many of these things going into his second year of being a medical intern.

What he didn’t count on was a new beginning with Mitch fucking Mueller.

And currently, Jonas found himself in front of his sister freaking out in one of the many smaller on-call rooms. Sidney was laying on her stomach flipping through her phone on the bottom of the only bunk bed in the room while her brother kept pacing back and forth, twisting his fingers around in between each other and against his hand.

Mitch had just asked him out on a lunch date for that day and currently, Jonas was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He hadn’t answered Mitch’s text back with an answer and he didn’t know if that was worse.

“You better answer him soon,” Sidney responded flatly. “Or else he’s going to think you hate him or something.”

“That’s not helping!” Jonas shouted with a huff. “I know I should answer him! I’m just . . . why me? Why again? We went through this in highschool and he’s still . . . still . . . “

“Still has the hots for you apparently,” Sidney interrupted, not even glancing up at her brother. “I can’t believe I’m telling you to take it, but considering the fact that he showed up after all this time and you practically saved his life like, twice, you kinda owe the dude a lunch date, JoJo.”

Jonas sighed heavily, dropping his arms and digging his phone out from his scrub pants’ pocket. He was wearing a deep maroon color today. New year, new colors he figured. Why not step out of the box a little bit?

Why not . . . take a chance with something?

Staring down at the text message from Mitch, Jonas bit his lip. “Sid . . .”

“Yeah?” Sidney finally glanced up at her distressed twin and saw the look on his face. He was scared. Sighing, she got up on her knees before stepping off the bed in front of Jonas. “Look. I get you’re scared and I get it’s Mitch. But you have to remember that you’re on your own now. Nobody else’s opinion of your sexuality and who you wanna be with matters anymore. Not even mine.”

Jonas swallowed thickly, his eyes drifting up to look at his sister. She had a bright smile on her face, and a look in her eye that said ‘go for it, you’ll be okay’.  That was one of the many things he loved about his sister. She always knew what to say, even if it was in the brashest of ways.

“It’s a new year, bro,” Sidney grinned, slapping his arm before heading for the door. “Gotta take those chances. What do I always tell you, JoJo?”

“Try everything?” Jonas squeaked.

Sidney grinned and winked with a nod before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

“Try everything,” Jonas whispered to himself. Quickly, he checked the time on his phone and the time when Mitch had first texted him. Jonas didn’t have lunch for another two hours, so he could answer now and break several sweats later.

Gulping nervously, Jonas furiously texted back before he lost his nerve and hit send, his eyes going over both of the messages with his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

**Mitch** ****  
**12:20pm** **  
** Hhey dr spotz how bout luunch?

**Jonas** ****  
**12:45pm** **  
** Yeah, sure that sounds fun. I get lunch off at 2. Meet you out front?

The vibrating in his pocket made Jonas jump as soon as he left the room and into the busy hospital hallways. Fumbling, he managed to pull out his phone without dropping it and read the reply hastily towards the next open elevator.

**Mitch** ****  
**12:46pm** **  
** Lukin’ 4werd to it ;)

“Oh my god,” Jonas mumbled to himself as the elevator doors closed in front of him. “What have I gotten myself into?”

*                                *                                                      *

It’s amazing how fast two hours goes by. What’s more, it’s amazing how fast two hours goes by when you’ve done three x-rays, made four trips to the labs, cast a broken arm, and administered antibiotic after antibiotic.

Just when Jonas thought he was going to crash from his anxiety and busy workload, his phone vibrated in his pack pants pocket, startling him.

With one arm holding a pile of charts under it, Jonas fumbled into his right back pocket for his phone and dug it out, flipping to the message from Mitch as fast as he could. He was already sweating bullets from the running around but now his heart was accompanying that in the worst way.

He was really going to do this.

 

**Mitch** ****  
**2:02pm** **  
** Im ‘ere where r u?

“Ah shoot,” Jonas huffed. He’d gone two minutes over the time he was supposed to be off. He had to find Sidney quick.

**Jonas** ****  
**2:05pm** **  
** Sorry, Mitch, I got piled on. I’ll be out in a minute.

Pocketing his phone again, Jonas rushed to the emergency department nurses station and sure as anything, found his sister there flirting with a short redhead named Olivia. “Hey Sid! Sis, I need you to take these,” he dropped the pile of charts in front of Sidney, breathless. “I’m behind. I’m supposed to be off for lunch now and Mitch is waiting for me outside and I’m three minutes past two and I-”

“Woah, woah, little brother, slow the frick down,” Sidney turned away from the nurse she was speaking to for a moment, placing her hands onto Jonas’ shoulders. “Take some deep breaths, bro. You’re freaking out on me.”

“I am freaking out!” Jonas blurted. 

Sidney rolled her eyes and looked backwards at her towards the nurse with a smirk. “He’s always like this, don’t worry. I’ll be with you in a minute, sweetcheeks.”

Jonas didn’t even notice that the nurse had blushed at his sister’s comments and cast her eyes down. “I have to go Sid, please can you just help out with the charts until I’m back from break? Mitch is waiting.”

“Yeah, I got it covered, JoJo but you might want to change into some new scrubs and take a Xanax or something before you go meet him,” Sidney raised her eyebrow. “You seriously need to calm down. It’s gonna be alright. It’s just Mitch.”

“That’s the problem,” Jonas sighed, getting his heartbeat and breathing to slow down. “It’s Mitch. Mitch Mueller. Mitch Mueller from Sellwood High who chased my ass from first period all the way to lunch and back. Who-who Dean caught us in my room that one night after dinner, who looks at me like I’m the most precious thing in the whole world and who just . . . just makes me so. So . . . so-”

“Flustered,” Sidney nodded with a soft chuckle, crossing her arms. “You got it bad for him, JoJo. Doesn’t surprise me. You two had been dancing around each other from the moment  you told me you were bi. And even before that now I can think back on it.”

Jonas froze in the middle of his nervous ramble, listening to his sister and realizing that she was right. She was absolutely freakin’ right. He  _ liked  _ Mitch.  And liked Mitch a lot. 

Grinning, Sidney patted Jonas’ shoulder before turning him away from her before giving him a shove to start walking. “Go get your gross trash man, JoJo. And remember. Try everything.”

Jonas felt like his entire world was spinning as he walked away from his sister and repeated her words in his head. He’d made it to the locker room and quickly changed into a fresh pair of scrubs, a pair of orange ones, and threw on some deodorant for good measure.

From there, he took the steps two at a time all the way from the second floor to the main, where people were coming in and out, sitting in an open waiting room, and everything was just a hustle and bustle as usual.

He was about to send Mitch a message saying that he was coming out the front doors when he was stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing a familiar face. 

Because Mitch was standing beside the open waiting room with his arms crossed, wearing his stupid red ‘ _Choke_ ’ tank top from back when they were in school, beat up black jeans, and those same old familiar dirty orange sneakers. Jonas felt his heart speed up and his breath catch.

Sidney was right. Mitch was everything he’d wanted. Since the very beginning. And now he was going out on a lunch date with him.  He was really really doing this. Really taking a chance and jumping into cold water feet first. With Mitch fucking Mueller.

Taking a deep breath, Jonas took his first step towards where Mitch stood. His first foot into the cold water. Then another. And another. And still more. He was about to be waist deep in this. He was about to go all the way in.

“Mitch,” Jonas felt like his voice cracked under the pressure building in his chest and head. But then Mitch looked at him with such excitement, that big toothy grin spreading across his face like he’d just won the lottery or something.

“‘Ey! It’s my favorite doctor!” Mitch laughed, slinging his arm around Jonas’ shoulders which was rough at first but then quickly relaxed as he began to pull Jonas away from the noise and out towards the hospital doors. He smelled like cigarettes, beer, and car oil. 

This was it. 

He took the plunge. He was under the water now. There was no coming up for air. There was no going back. 

There was only trying. Trying everything.

 


	4. Get Something Off My Chest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonas finally asks the question that has been on his mind since Mitch came to him in the emergency room. And now, Mitch has nothing to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sHOOT I'm finally done with this! Ah! It was so much fun and I loved writing all of these parts out. I wish I could do more, but I think this is pretty good for what I wanted to do from the beginning. Thank you to everyone who read it and enjoyed this as much as I did!!! There will be more doctor and other aus to come from me, since I really like to do those types of things as well as canon Long Exposure related fics.
> 
> * * *  
> Today's write-up song: "Secrets" by OneRepublic  
> * * *  
> Enjoy and happy reading! ♥

“Why me?” Jonas questioned suddenly, pausing in mid-bite of his Monte Cristo sandwich. 

Mitch had asked him where they would maybe like to go and Jonas was all too eager to tell him about this sandwich shop just around the corner from the hospital. So Mitch drove them there, in his black chipped paint beat up 1970’s Chevelle. It was cramped with trash strewn about everywhere and probably needed more work done, but for some reason Jonas had found it kind of pleasing. 

Ever since Mitch showed up with his busted hand in the emergency room, it seemed like everything lately was pleasing when it came to his old high school bully. Which is why he’d posed the question. Mitch wasn’t eating much anyway, just the tiniest plate of a half sandwich that Jonas didn’t pay attention to. So why not strike up a conversation and wonder out loud.

“Why you what?” Mitch raised his eyebrow, leaning his arms across the table in front of him. The place was quiet and busy hour had passed.  There were just a few people left in the booths way back behind them. Jonas had picked the seat he liked best with only one bayside window and away from the noise of the kitchen and any other patrons. Mitch liked it, since he hated crowds and eating in front of anyone. Except for Jonas. Jonas was different.

“Why me with . . . with everything?” Jonas took a sip of his pink lemonade, eyes locked on Mitch through his curls. “With the chasing me around in school, the bullying turned friendly, the flirting on and off, the sudden interest in coming around the hospital not only when you’ve done something stupid. Why just me? What’s the reason? For the longest time, I just thought you hated me. Maybe you were just teasing me with the flirting, trying to get a rise out of me or something. But it just started to seem all so genuine. Then I graduated and went to medical school . . . I hadn’t heard from you in all that time. I figured,” he trailed off then, eyes casting down at his almost finished lunch. “I figured maybe you just had forgotten about me and moved on. That maybe you really were just being a bully and hated me. When I don’t even know what I could have done.”

Mitch swallowed thickly, lifting one of his hands up to rub at the side of his neck. “Fuck, Joey, I ah. Shit I never hated ya, not once. An’I’m sorry I was such a fuckin’ jerk in school. Doesn’t excuse anythin’, but I just didn’t know how ta deal. With-with how my life’d turned out, with school, with everythin’ that fucked up . . . with  _ you _ .” 

A red blush crept quickly across his face. “Had tha’biggest crush on ya, Joey. But life was hard enough as it was fer me. I didn’t know how ta deal with bein’ gay and havin’ a crush on the cutest most gorgeous boy in fuckin’ Sellwood. It doesn’t make an excuse fer the way I treated ya, but it was the only way I could handle the situation. Handle myself an’everything. I just didn’t know what else ta do to get yer attention.”

Jonas blinked several times at the statement Mitch was making, a bright pink blush coming across his own face. His eyes were wide and he had to remember to blink several times. Mitch actually liked him. This was real. This wasn’t a joke. “I-I don’t . . . I’m - you . . . “

“Yeh,” Mitch rubbed his neck again, his blush growing redder. “I like ya, Jonas. A lot, ya know. An’I’m sorry. I’m sorry for school, an’I’m sorry fer not comin’ around sooner.” He paused for a moment and laughed shortly, shaking his head. “Though I gotta say. I guess havin’ yer car in the shop and bustin’ my hand up was like, no fuckin’ coincidence or anythin’. I’ve been wantin’ to come see ya, but didn’t know where ya went after school. Didn’t know you were goin’ to medical college an’I knew you weren’t gonna be livin’ with that shit stain anymore.” 

Jonas nodded, the blush from his face not going away, his heart pounding and ears feeling hot. “I’m sorry,” his voice sounded tense, but he persisted, “I just . . . didn’t know. Any of it. I didn’t have a reason to look you up or wonder if you were thinking about me or wanting to see me again. We were friends, but I just never knew how close of friends.”

Mitch nodded, dropping his arm back down onto the table. “Yeah. I can see that. But I did think about ya. All the time. Always wondered how you were doin’ and everythin’. Was hopin’ you had a better life than the one ya had back then. And I was right. Here ya are, bein’ a doctor and everything. That’s pretty fuckin’ sick, Spots.” He grinned widely towards Jonas, red blush still playing across his nose and cheeks. 

“I like you, too,” Jonas responded after a few silent moments between then, which were filled by noise of the restaurant and Mitch sucking down his soda. “And I guess, maybe, I always did. But . . . living with Dean, having school to focus on and then what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go after. It was a lot to deal with and I was scared. And I didn’t know what you, or rather  _ how   _ you felt about me. I didn’t know what we were doing or what either of us were feeling. All I knew was that I was bi and I wanted you. But I didn’t know if I could . . . if I could  _ have  _ you.”

Mitch blinked, feeling his heart ache for the boy sitting in front of him. All of that was true, and he knew it. Jonas had been living in a risky situation and with graduation rearing its ugly head, Mitch knew that Jonas needed to focus on bigger and better things than him. 

“Can I ask ya a question, Spots?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jonas nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Do you like it here? Bein’ a doctor and everything like that. Still stuck in this shit-hole town. Still got reminders and memories hangin’ over yer head like broken, ugly Christmas lights,” Mitch finished off his soda almost glaring out the window, setting the cup down with a audible slap.

Jonas blinked then, casting his eyes out the window beside him, thinking. Nobody had asked him that question. Not after graduating, not after he moved away from Dean and Sue, not when he and Sidney got their own cramped apartment, not when he got out of medical school, not when he started this internship program just last year. None of it. Nobody ever asked Jonas what he wanted.

Until now.

“It’s something,” Jonas spoke slowly, choosing his words. “I enjoy what I do, even though I’m only a second year intern. I like the pacing, I like not knowing what’s going to come through those doors. I like the rush of adrenaline. I like being near my sister. There are things I like about my job and there are things I like about being a doctor. But I guess . . . when I graduated I thought I was going to have more. I thought I was going to be out of Sellwood. I thought Sidney and I would have a better place to live. I thought that I would maybe not be a doctor, but when you only get so much choice shoved in front of your face and you don’t have time to think about it, you just have to take the smartest one. Dean pushed me to medical school, because all of the other viable options just weren’t smart enough.” 

Briefly, Jonas moved his eyes towards Mitch with his last sentence and bit his lip for a moment. “Even if it was something I really, really wanted. I didn’t care if it wasn’t the smart choice. It was a choice I knew I wanted and would love. Would be happy with and want to wake up everyday and say ‘Yes. This is right’.”

Him. Jonas was talking about him. This was no longer the matter of just his job at the hospital. Jonas wanted him. Mitch Mueller. Even though Jonas had the life Mitch wanted for him, something bigger and better and richer . . . it clearly was something that the freckled boy didn’t want. 

“What do ya want, then, Joey?” Mitch asked softly, his blush having since faded and his eyes turning soft. Like Jonas was the most important thing in the world to him at that moment. And he was.

“I want more,” Jonas whispered, feeling the threatening force of tears behind his eyes. He hated crying, but in public was even worse. “I want more than this, Mitch. I want more than just waking up in a run-down two bedroom apartment, more than just being a doctor and getting shouted at, thrown up on, and dismissed simply because I’m an intern. I want so much more and the biggest thing is . . .” Swallowing, Jonas wrung his hands together and bit down on his bottom lip again.

“The biggest thing is that I want you. And I knew I did, but. I couldn’t have you, and it was so frustrating. I couldn’t have you, I couldn’t have the life I wanted, I couldn’t just  . . . be me. Be Jonas Wagner. Be . . .  be free.”

As quick as his body and the booth would allow him, Mitch slapped down twenty dollars and some change down on the table for lunch, bolting up to his feet and grabbing Jonas’ hand softly. “Common, Spots.”

Jonas didn’t have time to blink, let alone comment before finding his hand snatched up into Mitch’s large, rough but otherwise gentle hand and being pulled out of the restaurant doors towards Mitch’s car. He didn’t know what Mitch was doing or planning, but if he was going to cry, it was better to do it in the car.

Mitch had thrown the passenger side door open to let Jonas into the front seat first before shutting it with an almost rusty clang before hopping into the driver’s side himself.  “How much time ya got left on lunch?”

“Uhm,” Jonas reached a shaky hand into his scrub top pocket, pulling out his phone for a glance. “I have thirty minutes left.”

“That’s perfect time,” Mitch grinned, revving up his car’s loud engine and pulling out of the parking lot, driving in the direction away from the hospital.

Jonas didn’t know where they were going, but he trusted Mitch and knew he must have a reason for taking him someplace else. Still, he was worried. They both had poured out their souls to each other, unexpectedly, and now he was in Mitch’s car going in the opposite direction from work. It was enough to make him at least a little bit nervous. After all the time, why wouldn’t he be?

It only took under five minutes, but Mitch drove down an all too familiar hill into a very familiar trailer park. Once off the hill, he drove around two corners to the most familiar thing of all: his trailer home.

Jonas was confused.

But then Mitch waved at him to follow and got out of the car. Jonas did so, his head filling with memories and times they had spent there. And once they had both stepped inside, Jonas was immediately hit with familiar smells, sounds, and visuals. Everything was just like it had been before. Even with all that time passed.

Mitch turned around towards Jonas and sighed heavily, tossing his arms at his side. “Welcome back, I guess. Nothin’s changed for me here. ‘Sides gettin’ a little taller and growin’ out my hair an’chops and shit. The job, that’s new, but. I still live here. In this shit-hole trailer, in this shit-hole town. Jus’like you. An’ I know ya probably expect that of me. Trailer trash Mitch Mueller. High school bully. Fuckin’ loser. Still livin’ where he grew up. Still a mess, stilla slob, still has Buddy around here somewhere. This,” Mitch sighed and gestured around the living room. 

“This is as good as it’s gonna get fer me, Joey. I don’t get a fancy job, I don’t get a whole lotta money. I don’t get my own place, I don’t get ta wonder what it would be like. An’that’s fine. Because ya know somethin’? I don’t need to. This . . . this fuckin’ shitty trailer is home. S’been my home all my life. An’I might hate the fuck outta it, but fer now, it’s what I got.”

Jonas swallowed thickly, tears welling up in his eyes faster than he could stop them. Mitch sounded so sincere. He didn’t sound distressed or angry. Frustrated, maybe, but he’d made peace with this is the life he had. Whether it was the long run or for now. And standing there, Jonas felt like he was home. This trailer for him had been more home than his own house after that one crazy year when Mitch returned back to Sellwood. And he was feeling it again. It was even more home than his and Sidney’s apartment.

“An’I’m fine with that,” Mitch shrugged, jamming his hands into his jeans pockets. “An’I’m gonna have ta be until I got a plan. I just . . . it’s a lonely fuckin’ life, but man.  _ Man _ , Jonas. Fuck, when I saw you at the hospital that day, it was like. Like I could have better. I could have  _ somethin’  _ change, even if it was a small somethin’.” 

It was then that Mitch removed his hands from his pockets and stepped towards Jonas, who had tears streaming down his face. His breathing was hitched and almost ready to erupt. “But if what ya said is true, and I fuckin’ believe it more than anythin’, then you can have what’cha want. Ya can have home,” clenching his jaw with nervousness, Mitch lifted a steady hand and placed it on Jonas’ wet cheek. “An’if ya want, can have me.”

“Yes,” Jonas nodded with a sob, leaning his entire everything into Mitch’s hand. He wasn’t able to comment further before finding that Mitch had hurriedly crashed their lips together, finding his own arms instinctively being wrapped around Mitch’s shoulders. And right now, this moment was everything Jonas had thought it would be. 

Mitch tasted like cigarettes and soda, smelled like weed and car fumes. His lips were cold and chapped, but against his own warm, plush lips it almost didn’t matter. Everything about the kiss was just  _ Mitch  _ and it was everything home to him. Everything that was familiar and safe.

Jonas didn’t want the kiss to end. He liked how their lips felt together, he liked how awkward they started out but were now moving together perfectly, neither of them trying to take over the other. The kiss was neutral, but filled with pent up longing and clearly having missed each other. It was like all the fireworks had went off inside of Jonas’ body, left unlit for the longest time. It was relief, and it was freeing.

And finally for the first time in Jonas' life, everything felt like pure freedom.

Slowly, Jonas found himself pulling away from the kiss, yet not away from Mitch himself. His fists were clenched, balling up Mitch’s t-shirt in between shaky fingers. Their eyes were locked and Mitch, mere inches from his face, was giving him the most pleasant grin Jonas was sure he’d ever seen.

Jonas’ tears had since stopped, but his eyes showed off that puffy evidence, his cheeks stained. But Mitch didn’t seem to care. He still had eyes locked onto Jonas, hands cupping his chubby face. It was like the entire world had just stopped moving for a moment. And it was everything.

“So,” Mitch spoke softly, a pleasing huskiness taking over his otherwise usually loud and exhausted sounding voice. “Whaddya say, Doctor Spots? Ya still want more?”

Jonas nodded softly, taking in every detail of Mitch’s face, their noses touching in the most intoxicating way. “Yeah. I think I do.”


End file.
